The competitiveSuper Smash Brosscene originated in 2002 when the series' second installment,Super Smash Bros Melee, became popular in local tournaments. Soon, the franchise developed a passionate following in the e-sports community. Even the newest installment,Super Smash Bros Ultimate, continues to find high-level success.
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However, not everySuper Smash Brosgame is equal. Every new entry in the franchise will make alterations to certain characters, affecting the game’s balance. As a result, some once-widely used characters get left out of most competitive matches. These tenSmash Brosfighters are unfortunately among those unlucky characters.
10Kirby
In the first installment ofSuper Smash Brosfor Nintendo 64, Kirby ranks high in the tier list. Alongside Pikachu,Kirby has proven to be one of the best characterscompetitively in the original game. This is mostly due to Kirby’s phenomenal recovery abilities as well as his swift attacks both on the ground and in the air.
However, subsequent releases of the series have seen Kirby being nerfed. InMelee, Kirby’s speed was decreased, which was problematic consideringMelee’s meta prioritized characters with high speed. He saw some improvements inBrawl, but the two most recent iterations ofSmashhave found Kirby’s performance to be lackluster.
9Fox
The pilotfrom theStar Foxseriescurrently ranks #1 on the tier list forSuper Smash Bros Meleedue to his lack of negative matchups. Overall, Fox’s performance in this game allowed players to chain combo attacks and speedily recover with his side-special. Fox was slightly nerfed inBrawl, bringing his ranking down a few tiers.
Fox’s appearance in futureSuper Smash Brosgames hasn’t seen a lot of improvement. Alongside more nerfs, Fox does however have better recovery inSuper Smash Bros 4. InUltimate, he currently sits at A-tier, which is not bad at all, but his overall power is not as good as it once was inMelee.
8Jigglypuff
After appearing as an unlockable character in64, Jigglypuff re-appeared inMeleewith some pretty hefty buffs. While its Rest ability still allows for a difficult-to-time instant-KO, Jigglypuff also can be one-hit KO’d if its shield is broken. However, post-MeleeJigglypuff has unfortunately been subject to extreme nerfs.
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Thanks toBrawl’s change in engine, Jigglypuff no longer benefits from a game with increased speed. If that wasn’t bad enough, Jigglypuff was nerfed even more in4, before finally receiving some well-deserved buffs inUltimate. Overall, Jigglypuff still resides as a low-tier character in the newest installment of the all-star fighter.
7Falco
Alongside Fox,Falco was one of the best characters inMelee, thanks to his similar moveset. However, unlike Fox, Falco remained a top-tier character inBrawl. Unfortunately, his appearance inSuper Smash Bros 4wouldn’t leave him as fortunate, dropping him to a bottom-tier character thanks to significant nerfs.
Thankfully, Falco’s poor tier placement in4would leave him open to more buffs inSuper Smash Bros Ultimate. While Falco’s recovery received nerfs, he also gained enough buffs for his Blaster and neutral attacks that bring him up to a B-tier fighter. However, he’s fallen a long way from his top-four position inMelee.
6Ice Climbers
Ice Climbers are one of the best fighters inSuper Smash Bros Brawl, despite the game’s lack of support competitively nowadays. This was even after the removal of wavedashing and wobbling fromMelee, which were key Ice Climber tactics. However, players benefit from a smarter A.I. controlling the leader’s partner.
However, Ice Climbers' absence inSuper Smash Bros 4left their competitive fate unknown.They’d eventually return inUltimate,though they’re often held back competitively by difficult-to-input tactics, such as desyncing. As a result, they’ve dropped to a C-tier fighter and are rarely seen in tournament matches.
5Meta Knight
While Ice Climbers held the #2 spot inBrawl, Meta Knight was a step above them at the #1 in his own SS tier. In his debut appearance, Meta Knight became the strongest fighter in the game. Many fans even labeled his design as broken, resulting in him being banned from many tournaments for his lack of bad matchups.
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Understandably, this led to Meta Knight receiving some pretty heavy nerfs in the following installment. His attacks became slower with less range, making him less of a threat, but still residing in the B-tier. He received even more nerfs in the transition toUltimate, dropping him to C-tier next to Ice Climbers.
4Mewtwo
Mewtwo was a bottom-tier character inMelee, so he wasn’t missed in the competitive scene during theBrawldays. Mewtwo finally returned as a DLC character inSuper Smash Bros 4, though he was still considered weak by fans. However, after several updates to the game’s balance, Mewtwo’s speed improved, bringing it to the top tier.
Sadly, Mewtwo’s reign in the top tier didn’t last long, as it was significantly nerfed in the transition toUltimate. One of these changes saw Mewtwo gaining a hurtbox on its tail, givingmore opportunities for players to attack Mewtwofrom afar. Currently, Mewtwo sits at the bottom of the C-tier, not far from his original spot inMelee.
3Rosalina & Luma
This duo fromSuper Mario Galaxydebuted inSuper Smash Bros 4, essentially performing as the game’s replacement for Ice Climbers. This would be a true comparison in terms of tier list placement, as Rosalina’s defensiveness placed it at #5 in4’s tier list. Sadly, Rosalina would soon become another target of nerfs inUltimate.
While Rosalina’s performance improved overall following updates, her power inUltimatewas nerfed. Most of these changes affect Rosalina & Luma’s ability to wall out characters, costing important combo potential. As a result, Rosalina & Luma now reside in the B-tier, rarely seeing any competitive play inUltimate’s meta.
2Corrin
The protagonist fromFire Emblem: Fatesappeared as the second-to-last DLC character inSuper Smash Bros 4. Residing near the top of the B-tier in that game, Corrin performed well due to his/her long reach and consistent tournament results. However, Corrin suffered from a lack of mobility and lack of KO potential.
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Corrin returned as an unlockable character inUltimate, receiving drastic nerfs upon release. Most of these nerfs affected the usefulness of Corrin’s special moves, such as Dragon Lunge. Thankfully, Corrin received some more buffs in future updates of the game, though a lack of in-person tournaments nowadays leaves Corrin in C-tier.
1Bayonetta
Bayonetta was the last DLC character revealed forSuper Smash Bros 4, and very quickly proved to be one of the game’s best characters upon her release. Her unique moveset can be combined witha playstyle that encourages long combo chains. This makes her one of the few characters capable of zero-to-KO-ing opponents.
Like Meta Knight inBrawl, Bayonetta was a primary target for nerfing inSuper Smash Bros Ultimate. Her moves now have more lag, hindering her combo ability, as well as her zero-to-KO potential. She currently resides in the B-tier and has been lucky enough to receive buffs via updates, but her viability is still unclear.
